Ectopic Pregnancy Loss: My story
By Charity Wheeler Conception In 2011, my husband and I had been married for 2 years when we started seriously talking about adding children to our family of two. We had just purchased our first home, and were excited and anxious to fill it with joyous laughter and hope for the future. I had been…
Read MoreSpotlight Feature: The Mother’s Nest
This week we are doing a little spotlight on Alicia Glascock and Meradith Fraser. Together they founded The Mother’s Nest, a non-profit organization aimed at helping mothers suffering from postpartum depression and other perinatal mood disorders. Alicia is a mom of three daughters and she works as a nurse in the ER. Meradith is a birth, postpartum,…
Read MoreWorking with Spanish-Speaking Clients: A Doula’s Experience
Guest Post by Jennifer Riggs Our Rights as Birthing Women I love working with Spanish-speaking clients, and clients from all communities. There is so much for us to learn from our clients; we learn about their birth customs and traditions, and it’s just fascinating. In many countries, birthing women don’t have many options regarding…
Read MoreWhat feeding a newborn really looks like
What feeding a newborn really looks like Expectant parents often daydream of the little fingers and little toes that will be joining their family in the coming weeks or months. Daydreaming, for most expectant parents, will also include things like diaper bags, baby carriers, and feeding. We plan, we study, and we prepare for what…
Read MoreKnow Your Birth Options
By Sheri Rysdam To those giving birth, and the people who support them—you’ve got options! As a birth worker, I am often surprised by how *infrequently* people ask for advice, options, and perspectives about childbirth. If you’re reading this, you’re probably the exception. You’re likely either a birth worker or soon to be giving birth,…
Read MoreWhere’s the Mother?: Stories From a Transgender Dad Book Review
Author’s note: I recognize that the topic of transgender parenting, and transgender people in general, can be divisive and hard for some people to understand. It is my hope that by writing about the topic of transgender pregnancy, parenting and breastfeeding in this post, other doulas, birth workers and parents will have a greater understanding…
Read MoreGathering Community Support with a Postpartum Plan
*Disclaimer – This is one mom’s postpartum story. We hope that you enjoy reading her story and can learn from her experience. On May 1st, I brought my third baby into the world. Week one of my postpartum journey was filled with urgency, as I worked to complete a final paper and final exam for…
Read MoreHow to Set Your Doula Fee
Something that comes up very often in the doula world is regarding how the wage of newer doulas compares to that of doulas who have amassed more experience and education. Often times I see statements like: “I just finished my training and I am offering my services for free while I work on my certification…
Read MoreYour Doula and Her Bias: How to find a doula who will support you unconditionally.
On the heels of the recently drafted open letter to the Fed is Best campaign, it occurred to me that many Utah parents might be on the search to build an unbiased team of birth professionals. I’ve got news for you. No one is unbiased. Because of our human experience, level of education, personality quirks,…
Read MoreBirth Photography Roundup: A UDA Mother’s Story
Look at more photography from Elizabeth Ashdown here. “You know that saying ‘be careful what you wish for?’ Well it’s apparently true when you joke that you’re giving your partner a small human for Father’s Day!” We welcomed Zekiel Cyr Griffith into our family at 2:10pm June 18th! Around 7-7:30 am I started noticing that…
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